“Our members are proud to support the RCF through the Every Realtor campaign,” says Tony Schmidt, President of KWAR. “RCF funds shelter-related charities across Ontario. KWAR’s participation ensures that investments are being directed right back into our community through local charities. Every one of these charities is helping to improve the quality of life in Waterloo region, and it’s very gratifying for us to help these great local organizations reach their goals.”

Kitchener the 7th Bee City in Ontario committed to providing a healthy environment for people and pollinators!

And with Spring just around the corner, is it time to think spring, the birds and the bees?

Some exciting initiatives are taking place in Kitchener, including a 2018 project at Huron Natural Area that will see eight hectares of meadow habitat restored and enhanced with plantings of forbs, grasses and shrubs to support native pollinators

By now most of you have heard of the results for 2017 in K-W. The market was vibrant in the 1st half of the year, low inventories and high value increases. The second half was a more normal market for our area with far fewer multiple offers that were driving the prices up, but the prices of homes has stabilized somewhat, no big crazy jumps making it much better for buyers all the while giving the sellers a nice boost in equity.

I’m looking forward to 2018 and pointing my way to your achievements in the real estate market.

You can reach me at dPellerin@coldwellBankerPBR.com or my phone at (519) 577-8181.

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, –– Last month a total of 425 residential properties sold in Kitchener-Waterloo and area through the Multiple Listing System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR). Home sales in November were down 20.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, but on par with the previous 5-year November average of 424 sale; a typical November.

Compared to November 2016, the average price of all residential properties increased 8% to $445,363. Detached homes averaged at $515,721, up by 8.9%. An apartment style condominium was $277,660 for an increase of 30.7%. Townhomes and semis sold for an average of $369,678 (up 19.3 per cent) and $376,677 (up 15.1 per cent) respectively.

Why do real estate agents, perhaps more than people in any other service industry, so often use their photos on business cards and other advertisements?

O’Reilly: My research told me that this practice started in the late 1800s/early 1900s. People were moving to cities from the country and unscrupulous conmen would meet these people at train stations and sell them non-existent property. These land sellers were called “land sharks” and took advantage of good people looking to start a new life. The term “swampland in Florida” was coined in this period.
Legitimate real estate agents wanted to distance themselves from these scam artists, so they began to organize by creating real estate boards and they established standards of practice. Using a face in their marketing and opening offices with fixed addresses suggested accountability. No conman would ever advertise his face and they certainly didn’t want offices where they could be tracked down. In other words, the use of a face in real estate marketing was the ultimate sign of trust.

In your show you mention a fascinating study done by three American universities that looked at physical attractiveness as it relates to a real estate professional’s success. Could you elaborate?

O’Reilly: It was an interesting study because this is an industry that relies on faces. Essentially, it said that attractive agents had listings with higher selling prices and higher commissions. The study confirmed that physical attractiveness is an asset. But, there was an interesting side note: Less attractive agents had lower selling prices but more listings and more sales. Which I interpret to mean, they worked harder. Attractive people use their beauty in place of other work skills. Less attractive people must work harder and they do.

You discovered that real estate played an important role in the evolution of the advertising business. How so?

O’Reilly: To begin with, the very first advertising agency in North America was started by a Philadelphia real estate agent named Volney Palmer around 1837. Second, the very first radio commercial ever aired was for a real estate development. It was broadcast in 1922 on radio station WEAF in New York. Close to $14 billion is spent on real estate advertising in North America annually, so it is a powerful marketing sector.

See the full article here: http://www.remonline.com/cbcs-terry-oreilly-world-real-estate-marketing/

fn: Do to my years of business to business work I have never had my photo on my cards. However, if you’re interested in some good old down to earth real estate talk, give me a call, I hope to pleasantly surprise you. Denis (519) 577-8181